Postcard from Copenhagen
At first glance yesterday morning, we might have thought we were in Amsterdam; bicycles, canals, old world architecture and tall, Nordic looking people. Others would have attributed our first look to the fact that we were a wee bit jet lagged having had no more then an hour or two of shut-eye during our flight!
While there seem to be similarities, every city has it's own charm and Copenhagen certainly has plenty of that. Our short stay here can't possibly give us a true picture of what it's like to be a native and Chris especially laments not visiting the usual galleries, churches and castles in the area. Tivoli Gardens however was right across the street from our hotel and last night we wandered in for a look. You couldn't have gotten either of us on the crazy stomach churning rides, but the gardens themselves and the little cafes were charming. I slept through the entire performance of a dance troop, but was wide awake for the dinner at Groften resturant, the oldest spot in Tivoli. We try to pick things we wouldn't ordinarily eat and this was no exception. Paul's starter of seasonally appropriate white asparagus came with smoked duck breast and was delicious. This was followed by a more ordinary version of schnitzel. Christina, not to be outdone ordered herring salad which came with wonderful pumpernickle followed by a traditional dish called "Skipperlabskovs" (a cross between cornbeef hash and sheppards pie), looked a little mixed up but was tasty served with red beets and washed down with acquivat.
The streets are full of vendors selling more versions of hot dogs then we could eat in a month and where we have a Starbucks on every corner, here you find a "7 Eleven" complete with slushy bars inside! The thing we've enjoyed the most is the incredible variety of breads, rolls and pastry items at the morning breakfast table. Who knew there were so many varieties of pumpernickle! It's a good thing we're getting ont he ship tomorrow.
